1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a training machine used for the purpose of fitness and aerobics by which to improve the heart-lung related function and to burn fat, a training machine used for supporting or accelerating his/her exercise in the course of rehabilitation such as medical training for the body and mental state, or a training machine for use as his/her entertainment and leisure and so on. It particularly relates to a training machine for displaying images for the exerciser. Moreover, the present invention relates to an image output processing device and an image output processing method for displaying the image for the exerciser. Moreover, the present invention relates to a recording medium which stores the image outputting program for displaying the image for the exerciser.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, training apparatus provides one with an exercise for enhancing healthiness, medical training, or certain entertainment and leisure. For example, as a training machine, there are known a bike machine reproducing the exercise by stepping on the pedal of a bicycle, a treadmill reproducing the running, a chest press and a shoulder press improving the muscle force of the chest and shoulder, or a rowing machine reproducing the exercise of rowing a boat, and so on.
In these training machines, the exercise itself provided by the training machines is oftentimes mechanical and boring, and one usually gets bored within a short period of time unless one has to do the exercise in order to recover from illness or out of necessity. For example, when exercising by pedaling the bike machine, the exerciser often tries to kill time by looking at a magazine or television.
Moreover, in general, the exercisers often do not know about which training machine to use and how much exercise using such a machine will be effective. Moreover, there are many occasions where the exerciser thinks and misunderstands that the best way to obtain the maximum effect is to continue exercising under painful conditions. Thus, there are occasions where the exercisers perform unnecessarily severe exercise.
Moreover, in the conventional training machines, some have a mechanism generating a load for the exercise, output a load level by a lamp for the types of load generation, and display an image. Though in this training machine the load level is indicated to the exerciser by the lamp, it is difficult to let the exerciser know whether it is a proper exercise by providing only this load level information.
The U.S. Techtricks, Inc. is developing a bike machine where graphics move relative to the pedal. Though in this bike machine the boredom of the exerciser can be prevented by the graphics, the exerciser would not know whether it is an appropriate exercise or not.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. S61-45726, a health information apparatus is disclosed in which a pulse rate serving as a body""s physiological information is converted to an electric signal by a sensor, said electric signal is input to an arithmetic circuit so as to select an address of the audio data memory, the digital data of said selected address is converted to an audio analog signal by an audio synthesis circuit, and said analog signal is output from a speaker as an audio sound via a power amplifier. However, in this health information apparatus, there are problems where the boredom in the exercise cannot be prevented and moreover the information will be lost if the exerciser misses hearing the audio sound since the information is given to the exerciser by the audio sound.
As described above, in the conventional training machines, whether the exercise is appropriate cannot be easily and properly grasped by the exerciser.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a training machine, image output processing device, image output processing method and recording medium storing image output program capable of letting the exerciser know whether the exercise is appropriate or not. Moreover, it is another object of the present invention to provide a training machine, image output processing device, image output processing method and recording medium storing image output program capable of outputting an effective image for the exercise. This object is achieved by combinations described in the independent claims. The dependent claims define further advantageous and exemplary combinations of the present invention.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a training machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention, equipped with an exercising portion that provides an exerciser with a predetermined exercise and a display unit that displays an image of activity associated with the exercise, the training machine comprising: an image storing unit which stores plural types of images; a sensor which detects body information of the exerciser changing with the exercise; a reference range storing unit which stores a reference range of the body information of the exerciser in the exercise; a state detection unit which detects whether the body information detected by the sensor belongs to the reference range, for plural times within a predetermined time duration, so as to detect whether an exercising state of the exerciser is proper based on detection results carried out for plural times; and an image display control unit which extracts the image associated with either the proper state or the improper state of the exercising state detected by the state detection unit, from the image storing unit, so as to be displayed by the display unit.
The body information of the exerciser may be the heart rate (pulse rate) of the exerciser. The image displaying control unit may cause an image indicative of the relationship between the heart rate detected by the sensor and the reference range, to be displayed on the display unit.
The state detection unit may detect as a proper state, the event that the heart rate still consecutively belongs to the reference range during the predetermined time duration, while the state detection unit may detect as an improper state in the event that the heart rate continues to be out of the reference range beyond a predetermined extension time, in the predetermined time duration.
A training machine may further comprise an extension time setting unit, which sets a predetermined extension time.
The reference range may lie in a range of less than or equal to a predetermined heart rate and greater or equal to a predetermined heart rate. Moreover, a training machine may further comprise a reference range setting unit which sets the reference range.
The reference range storing unit may store a plurality of the reference ranges in association with each time from a predetermined point, and wherein the state detection unit may detect whether an exercising state of the exerciser is a proper state or an improper sate, based on the reference range associated with time from the predetermined point and the heart rate. The time from the predetermined point may be time from a point where a warm-up of the exercise ends or time during which a cool-down of the exercise ends from a point where a warm-up of the exercise starts. A training machine may further comprise a reference time setting unit which sets time corresponding to the reference range. Moreover, the reference range storing unit may store a plurality of the reference ranges corresponding to respective exercise modes of the exercise, and further comprising an exercise mode selection unit which selects a single exercise mode from a plurality of the exercise modes, the state detection unit detecting whether an exercising state of the exerciser is proper, based on the reference range corresponding to the selected exercise mode.
A training machine may further comprise a perception data outputting unit which outputs perception data when the heart rate is close to a boundary of the reference rage. The perception data outputting unit may output the perception data based on a difference between the heart rate and a boundary value of the reference range. The perception data outputting unit may output the perception data based on a direction of change in the heart rate and a difference between the heart rate and the boundary value of the reference range.
Moreover, a training machine may further comprise an exercise content measuring unit which measures an exercise content with regard to the exercise. The exercise content may be data based on at least one of time, exercise amount, heart rate during the exercise and a gross amount of exercise in the exercise.
The image display control unit may retrieve an image corresponding to the proper state or the improper state of the exercising state detected by the state detection unit and corresponding to the exercise content measured by the exercise content measuring unit, so as to be displayed on the display unit.
The exercise content may include data of the exercise amount, and the image displayed by the image display control unit includes a figure corresponding to the exercise amount. A training machine may further comprise an evaluation value display control unit which causes to display on the display unit an evaluation value corresponding the exercise content.
A training machine may further comprise an exercise content storing unit which stores the exercise content measured by the exercise content measuring unit. The exercise content may be stored corresponding to each exerciser. A training machine may further comprise an individual comparison displaying control unit which causes to display on the display unit a same exerciser""s exercise content stored in the exercise content storing unit for plural times. A training machine may further comprise a plural-members comparison displaying control unit which causes to display on the display unit, the exercise content of plural members stored in the exercise content storing unit. A training machine may further comprise a communication unit which sends to an external portion, the exercise content stored in the exercise content storing unit via communication lines, and which receives an exercise content from the external portion via the communication lines so as to be stored in the exercise content storing unit.
In a training machine according to the present invention, the exercising portion comprises a load device which generates a load of the exercise and a load control unit which adjusts the load. The load control unit may lessen an amplitude of fluctuation in the load generated by the load device when an increasing rate of heart rate with respect to time is high. The load control unit may increase an amplitude of fluctuation in the load generated by the load device when an increasing rate of heart rate with respect to time is low. The load control unit may lessen an amplitude of fluctuation in the load generated by the load device when an increasing rate of heart rate with respect to time is high, while the load control unit may increase an amplitude of fluctuation in the load generated by the load device when an increasing rate of heart rate with respect to time is low.
A training machine may further comprise a load reference value storing unit which stores a load reference value serving as a reference of the load, and the load control unit may generate the load based on the load reference value stored in the load reference value storing unit. The load reference value of the load reference value storing unit is associated with the image of the image storing unit, and the load control unit generates the load on the basis of the load reference value associated with the image displayed by the image display control unit. The load control unit may generate the load based on the load reference value associated with part of a plurality of the images displayed by the image display control unit.
Moreover, a training machine may further comprise: a detection unit which detects that the change of the heart rate is less than a predetermined permissible change value while the load of the load device changes; and a warning output unit which outputs a warning when the detection unit detects that the change of the heart rate is less than the predetermined permissible change value. Moreover, a training machine may further comprise: a detection unit which detects that the change of the heart rate is greater than a predetermined permissible change value while the load of the load device changes; and a warning output unit which outputs a warning when the detection unit detects that the change of the heart rate is greater than the predetermined permissible change value.
A training machine according to a second embodiment, equipped with an exercising portion that provides an exerciser with a predetermined exercise and a display unit that displays an image of activity associated with the exercise; the training machine comprises: a sequence storing unit which stores a sequence indicating the order of a plurality of display statuses specifying the image; a display status image storing unit which stores an image associated with the each display status; a display status controlling unit which controls the present display status of the exerciser; a sensor which detects body information of the exerciser changing with the exercise; a transition detecting unit which detects whether the present display status is transited to a display status of the next sequence stored in the sequence storing unit, based on the body information detected by the sensor; and a display status image display control unit which transits the present display status controlled by the display status controlling unit to the display status of the next sequence when the transition detecting unit detects that the status is transited to the display status of the next sequence, and displays on the display unit the image associates with the transited display status. The body information may be a heart rate of the exerciser.
Moreover, a training machine may further comprise an exercise-amount sensor which detects an exercising amount of the exerciser, where in the transition detecting unit may detect whether the present display status is to be transited to the display status of the next sequence, based on the detected heart rate and the detected exercising amount. Moreover, the sequence has a part which branches out to a plurality of display statuses right after a display status, and the transition detecting unit, moreover, may select the display status which transits based on the heart rate, when there are a plurality of display statuses right after the present display status.
An image output processing apparatus, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, which displays on a display unit that displays an image for an exerciser, the image of activity associated with an exercise of the exerciser, the apparatus comprising: an image storing unit which stores plural types of the images; an input unit which inputs the exerciser""s body information changing with the exercise; a reference range storing unit which stores a reference range related to the body information of the exerciser; a state detection unit which detects for plural times whether the body information input by said input unit belongs to the reference range, and detects whether an exercising state of the exerciser is proper based on detection results carried out for plural times; and an image display control unit which extracts the image associated with either the proper state or the improper state of the exercising state detected by said state detection unit, from said image storing unit, so as to be displayed by the display unit. The body information may be a heart rate of the exerciser.
An image output processing apparatus, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, which displays on a display unit that displays an image for an exerciser, the image of activity associated with an exercise of the exerciser, the image output processing unit comprising: a sequence storing unit which stores a sequence indicating the order of a plurality of display statuses specifying the image; a display status image storing unit which stores an image associated with said each display status; a display status controlling unit which controls the present display status of the exerciser; an input unit which inputs body information that changes as the exerciser exercises; a transition detecting unit which whether the present display status is transited to a display status of the next sequence stored in the sequence storing unit, based on the body information detected by the input unit; and a display status image display control unit which transits the present display status controlled by the display status controlling unit to the display status of the next sequence when the transition detecting unit detects that the status is transited to the display status of the next sequence, and displays on the display unit the image associates with the transited display status. The body information may be a heart rate of the exerciser.
An image output processing method according to the first embodiment, of displaying on a display unit that displays an image for an exerciser, the image of activity associated with an exercise of the exerciser, the method comprising the steps of: storing a reference range related to body information that changes with an exercise of the exerciser, in a reference range storing unit; detecting the body information of the exerciser; detecting whether the body information detected by the detecting belongs to the reference range, for plural times within a predetermined time duration, and detecting, based on detection results carried out for plural times, whether an exercising state of the exerciser is proper.
An image output processing method, according to the second embodiment, of displaying on a display unit that displays an image for an exerciser, the image of activity associated with an exercise of the exerciser, the method comprising the steps of: inputting body information that changes as the exerciser exercises; detecting whether the present display status specifying a displayed image is to be transited to a display status of the next sequence, based on the body information detected by the input; and transiting the present display status to the display status of the next sequence when the detecting detects that the status is transited to the display status of the next sequence, and displaying on the display unit the image associates with the transited display status.
A recording medium, according to the first embodiment, which stores a program executed by a computer, is characterized by storing: an image associated with exercise for plural types of exercisers; an input program which inputs to the computer, body information that changes with the exercise of the exercisers; a reference range storing program which stores in the computer a reference range related to the body information of the exerciser; state detection program which detects whether the body information input by executing the input program belongs to the reference range stored by executing the reference range storing program by the computer, for plural times within a predetermined time duration, and detects by using the computer, based on detection results carried out for plural times, whether an exercising state of the exerciser is proper; and an output program which outputs the image corresponding to the proper state of the improper state of the exercising state detected by executing the state detection program by the computer, from plural types of the images so as to be output.